Mechanical Buyer/Planner

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Job summary

A leading aerospace startup in Los Angeles is seeking a motivated individual for a supply chain management role. You will be responsible for sourcing and managing mechanical hardware for satellite production, negotiating contracts, and ensuring supplier quality. The ideal candidate has over 2 years of experience in supply chain management within the aerospace industry and a strong understanding of technical procurement. This position offers a competitive base salary of $65,000 - $100,000 plus equity, along with a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in supply chain management or engineering in the aerospace industry.
• Experience reading and interpreting technical engineering drawings.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Source structural and mechanical hardware across the satellite often on expedited lead times.
• Negotiate costs and contracts with key suppliers.
• Manage Bill of Materials for mechanical and structural assemblies.

Skills

Supply Chain Management

Technical Procurement

Inventory Management

SQL or Information Processing

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Finance, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Mathematics

Job description

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.

The Role

You willbe responsible forseveral aspects of the critical supply chain organization. You willbe responsible forfinding, building, and managing the quality of parts running in ourmechanicalsupply chains. Key skills will include technical procurement of mechanical and structural hardware and Bill of Material(BOM)management for owned assemblies. You will travel tosuppliersin order tomonitorprogress and health while negotiating business contracts and price reductions over time to ensurestrategic reductions in costs over time.

Responsibilities

• Source structural and mechanical hardware across the satellite often on expedited lead times
• Negotiate costs and contracts with key suppliers
• Manage supplier quality and deliveries to ensure mission success
• Act as the primary interface between suppliers and internal customersincluding:supplier onboarding, evaluation, negotiation, and project management

Material Planning

• Manage Bill of Materials formechanical and structuralassemblies
• Help implement the master planning schedule for high volume production
• Lead clear to builds with engineering to ensure assembly milestones are completed to hit critical milestones
• Develop internal analytics to track supply chain objectives

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experienceinsupply chain management or engineering in the aerospace industry
• 2+ years of experience with commodities such as machined parts, heat pipes, capital equipment, aluminum honeycomb, tubes, tanks
• Experience reading and interpreting technical engineering drawings
• Strong understanding of inventory management
• 2+ years managing bill of materials formechanicalassemblies
• 1+ year of experience with SQL or other information processing software tool
• Ability to collaborate in a cross-functional environment with engineering, production, and finance
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time

Nice to Have

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, finance,mechanicalengineering, aerospaceengineering,ormathematics
• 3+ years of technical procurement experience
• 3+ years in a new product introduction environment
• Experience reading and interpreting technical engineering drawings
• Experience implementing AS9100 or completing AS9100 audits

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary range for this role is $65,000 - $100,000 + equity in the company
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limitedto:knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, "U.S. Persons" include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a "U.S. Person."

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a "U.S. person" as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.